Snapshots
by screenings
Summary: So just what have Bruce and Tony been doing since we saw them last? Depends who you ask. The majority of people would describe it as 'a PR nightmare'.
1. Love Hurts When You're Being Slapped

He sat there in silence, cross-legged on the floor, looking out at a dark, expansive sky and a deceptively small city below. New York was tall and majestic, a city of skyscrapers- but Stark Tower was the tallest, and Bruce sat at the very top, looking down on the city.

After Loki and the Tesseract had been taken by Thor back to Asgard in a blur of light, the Avengers had gone their separate ways away from Central Park. Clint and Natasha had left in a SHIELD insignia-adorned car- no guesses were needed that they were returning to their employers. Steve had left in a motorbike in the opposite direction- it was anyone's guess what he was doing, but nobody had really wanted to ask.  
And Bruce had left with Tony, going back to the partially-destroyed Stark Tower.

Bruce had been surprised. Yes, Tony had thrown the possibility of a visit to his R&amp;D department up in the air- but that had been before the explosion in the Helicarrier, before the Battle of New York. He had been fully expecting to be treated with more open suspicion on Tony's side. The billionaire had now seen his potential for destruction first-hand, and not only destruction of the invading forces. He remembered bits and pieces of his two most recent transformations, but he knew he had run a hole through practically half of Manhattan. He had still been only half-sure he wouldn't be lead away in handcuffs and thrown in SHIELD's specially built prison cells.

But when he had woken up, lying in a pile of rubble for the second time that day, he had instead been faced with a man sitting next to him sedately. A man who just so happened to be one of the richest people on Earth. A man who just so happened to be playing Galaga on his phone as if he wasn't sitting on top of a partially destroyed building in the middle of a decimated city.

The man in question had noticed Bruce's awakening within seconds, giving him a grin.

"Wakey wakey, honey," He said with a casual air that didn't quite fit with his surroundings. "Did you enjoy today as much as I did?" He asked, winking at Bruce with as much implied flirtation as could be conveyed with a wink. Bruce couldn't help but smile in return, even though every muscle in his body felt like it was on fire. He also noted his distinct lack of clothing.

"It was, ah, rough," He managed to reply in turn, shifting awkwardly as he sat up to face Tony head-on. Tony noted his awkward expression and grinned, reaching beside him to pick up a large carrier bag.

"The best times always are, big guy," He quipped with ease, placing the carrier bag at Bruce's side. "Here- figured you might want to get out of your birthday suit before the news get here. Nothing worse than having everything displayed on national television."

Bruce lifted the clothing out of the carrier bag, didn't waste time in getting it on, standing as he began buttoning up a shirt. And then Bruce noted a certain colour scheme beginning to emerge in the clothing Tony had picked out.

"Really?" He questioned, a lopsided smile on his face as he gestured to his entirely green wardrobe. He pulled out a pair of sneakers from the carrier bag- he had to hand it to Tony, when that man started a colour scheme, he really went all out.

Tony snorted. "Hey, you look good in green, don't deny it."

That line held more significance than just fashion choices, and they both knew it. Bruce had been dreading this point in the conversation. He stood from lacing up his shoes and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"Anyone get hurt?"

Tony gave him an incredulous look.

"Some of the people on the streets got caught in our crossfire, I'll be damn sure of that, but we saved a lot more lives than we didn't, Bruce." He took Bruce by the shoulder and began leading him through the emptied, partially destroyed city. "And you definitely saved a lot of lives."

Bruce couldn't help but laugh derisively. He knew the Hulk- as much as a force of destruction could be a potentially worthwhile ally if pointed in the right direction, the Hulk wasn't a lifesaver, and they both knew it. "You saved lives, Tony. I- the other guy- we just hit things."

Tony halted. He pulled Bruce by his shoulders to face him head-on. "Listen, Bruce, I don't give out many compliments, so take this rare and honoured moment and bask in its glory. I am telling you, you and the Hulk saved lives."

Bruce didn't drop his pained expression. "Name one life saved by the Hulk. One."

"Mine."

Bruce felt his mind stagger to a halt. He stared into Tony's eyes and found only honesty.

"Yours." He assented thickly, uncertainly, as if unsure if he was being lied to. Tony continued to maintain eye contact with Bruce as he replied, even as he leant back and crossed his arms loosely.

"SHIELD's high-ups decided the fight was going south and sent in a nuke," He said, rattling it off as quickly as possible, sounding unwilling to dwell upon the events. "I diverted it into the wormhole, Romanoff shut it down. But there isn't exactly that much air in space."

"You passed out," Bruce murmured, beginning to reconcile blurred memories with the events Tony narrated.

"I fell," Tony continued, his eyes still trained on Bruce's, "Hundreds of feet through the air, no slowing down. One-way ticket to the ground. And then a big green arm caught me." Tony began to smile as realisation sparked in Bruce's eyes.

"Caught you," Bruce said slowly.

"Caught me, slowed my descent, took the impact of the fall, and woke me up when I wasn't responding," Tony said, a small but genuine smile on his face. "That's you, big guy. You saved my life today."

Before Bruce could respond, could even begin to process this, Tony had already laid a hand on his shoulder again, and started guiding him through the city. "So! We saved lives today, and I think we both need a bit of R and R! I say we go find the rest of the super-secret boy band, get something to eat, and then I take you to Candyland." He wrapped an arm around Bruce's shoulders, pulling him in more closely into a loose sideways embrace. "What do you say, doctor?"

Bruce was walking in the middle of a war zone, but he felt freer than he had in years.

"I say we definitely go get something to eat first."

* * *

And here Bruce sat, in Stark Tower, the sun set, the city's horizon darker than usual but still inexorably shining on through the night. Nothing could really make New York stop running.

Even if he had decimated parts of it. Bruce absently brushed his fingers against the smooth tiles of the floor- on the floor above him, there was a hole smashed into the ground, the self-same tiles pounded into shards. Tony had brushed the property damage off, as could be expected of a man who ranked in the Forbes 100, but it still made Bruce wince to see the damage he had caused.

Slowly, carefully, with a soft sigh, he relaxed back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling in the dark. Two days ago, he had been hiding out in the slums of Calcutta, trying to remain beneath the US government's radar. And now here he was, back in New York, the place he had now partially destroyed twice- on invitation of Tony Stark. He couldn't help chuckling a little. _Tony Star_k, of all people. One of the richest and most influential people on the planet had decided to lodge Bruce Banner in their home. Their 'tallest-building-in-New-York' home.

"Wow, you'll really sleep anywhere, won't you?"

Bruce sat up, twisting to see Tony walking across the apartment with a glass in hand. "I was...resting," He replied. "It's been a busy day."

"Hasn't it just," Tony grinned, sitting down next to Bruce on the floor and sipping at his glass. "Not every day you stop an alien invasion. And have shawarma. Seriously, I never get shawarma."

Bruce chuckled, inciting a louder laugh from Tony. They sat then in companionable silence, watching the lights of New York flicker in the night.

Then the lights switched on.

"Tony?! Tony, are you in here?"

Tony immediately sat up straight. He looked about wildly, looking flustered- then pushed his glass of hard liquor into Bruce's hands and jumped up from the floor, springing across the room to the person emerging from the elevator. Bruce anxiously stood up, looking with nervous confusion at the new arrival.

A woman, clad in a white, well-fitting suit that highlighted her red hair. Even though he had never met her, Bruce knew the face from the news, from Time magazine. Pepper Potts was one of the most powerful business magnates in the world, after all.

And the CEO of Stark Industries pulled herself into Tony's arms wordlessly, before pushing away and rapping him on the head smartly. Tony yelped.

"No 'hello Tony', just straight to the hitting?" He questioned, rubbing his head where he had just had stitches put in (by Bruce, following the billionaire's insistence that he wouldn't go to hospital).

"YOU SAID YOU WERE _CONSULTING_!" She screamed, hitting him again (although Bruce noted her relatively gentle hits- she clearly wasn't trying to hurt him properly). "YOU FLEW A _NUCLEAR MISSILE_ INTO A WORMHOLE!"

Tony looked somewhat sheepish. "You think I wanted to? I thought I was consulting too!"

"I thought you'd have some _sense_!" She argued furiously, although most of the heat was disappearing from her voice. "You might have _died_," she murmured softly. "You could've _died_, Tony..."

This time, Pepper allowed herself to be embraced, Tony holding her closely to his body.

Then she looked over at Bruce.

"Tony," she said, straightening and pushing gently away from him, "Who's that?"

"I, uh-" Bruce started, rubbing his hands together unconsciously.

"-Oh, yeah, should've mentioned!" Tony put a hand on Pepper's shoulder and began guiding her across the apartment floor to Bruce. "This is the guy you should be thanking for me still being in a single piece- I also electrocuted him."

"What?" Pepper asked, looking faintly like a belittled parent having to deal with their unruly child's antics.

"He's cool with it." Tony assured her with a little wave of his hands.

Bruce couldn't help but laugh a little. "I'm cool with it," he agreed, cautiously walking up to Pepper and shaking her hand.

"I'll believe it when I don't hear the lawsuit," Pepper said with a little smile in Bruce's direction. "And you are..?"

"This is the esteemed Doctor Bruce Banner," Tony said before Bruce could answer. "He's a nuclear physicist-"

"-He was in the file," Pepper said with a suspicious tone to her voice. "The Avengers Initiative file."

"Oh, yeah, he's one of the boy band," Tony added on as if he had forgotten to mention it. "Every so often he turns big and green and shirtless."

"You're the one they're calling 'The Hulk'?" Pepper asked curiously, surveying Bruce.

"I, ah-" Bruce sighed slightly. "Yes, I am."

Pepper looked up at him properly, looking him in the eyes.

"You caught Tony."

"Yeah, like I said, he's the reason I'm not a mess on the floor," Tony said with an almost forced nonchalance at his own near-death experience.

"And technically it wasn't me, it was-"

Bruce didn't get to finish that statement; because suddenly he was too distracted by the fact Pepper Potts was hugging him.

She pulled back a second later, a slight, pained smile on her face.

"I saw the news reports," she explained. "I saw you catch Tony."

"It was on the news?" Bruce asked weakly.

"Thank you." Pepper said with quiet determination. "For saving Tony's life."

Bruce couldn't help but smile back, even though his mind was reeling once more, fighting against the evidence that yet another person was trusting him, thanking him, even going so far as to thank _the other guy_. "Well, uh, you're welcome."

"Now," Pepper said, looking sharply between Tony and him, "Why has Tony dragged you here?"

"Medical attention," Tony said at the same time Bruce said "He invited me".

Pepper looked with interest at Bruce.

"_Tony_ invited you?" She asked with an excited smile. "You made a friend!" Pepper said jubilantly to Tony, who looked distinctly embarrassed.

"I'm rich, I'm charming, I make friends," he said, leaning against a table in an overwrought nonchalant way.

"Yeah, you charmed me at first electrocution," Bruce added, eliciting a laugh from Pepper and a grin from Tony.

"Well, I'm glad," Pepper said with a little smirk at Tony. "He needs more people to keep him out of trouble."

"Hey!" Tony said, sounding affronted. "I don't get in trouble!"

"You just blew up half of New York," Bruce pointed out quietly with a tiny smile.

"You _smashed_ half of New York!" Tony argued back.

"Yes, but you started it."

"But-"

"-I don't care who started it!" Pepper interjected suddenly. They all stared at each other a second.

Then burst into laughter. It was inappropriate, and painful, and perhaps slightly hysterical, but it was laughter.

Bruce grinned, even though the flames of a partially destroyed New York lit his face. They had won, for now, and he had been set free by the government, for now, and he was standing amongst allies, for now.  
And while he could enjoy himself, he would.

Besides, he still had to pay Stark back for poking him with an electric prod.

* * *

_Poorly written? Out of character? Perhaps. But I've already written about four of these things so it's too late now. Still, criticism is always welcomed with open arms, because as you can see I'm a terrible writer who needs the help._


	2. Yelling At Employees And Enslaving Them

Soft tinted light suffused into the room from its floor-to-ceiling windows- the morning's harsh sunlight found itself softened by dark glass as it lay on the room's occupant.

Until all of a sudden, with a flicker of blue across the glass, bright light streamed into the room.

"Good morning-"

The sole occupant of the room gasped and shot bolt upright in his bed, tense and ready for attack.

No attack was forthcoming, but the voice continued without a flicker or surprise or emotion in its voice as the man jolted to attention.

"-Dr Banner. The weather today is overcast, with expected showers later in the afternoon. The temperature is-"

The now clearly disembodied voice continued to speak, and Bruce inspected his surroundings with shock marking his newly green-flecked eyes. Upon deciding there was no immediate threat, he took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed, albeit not entirely; he took another, more critical view of his room.

Huge and sprawling, with windows now overlaid with blue text and graphics, the single room was larger than his entire flat in Calcutta, and threatened to be larger than the apartment he had owned at Culver University. The furnishings were surprisingly minimalist, but were likely worth an insane amount of money.

It was, quite simply, beautiful.

Although Bruce would like it more if there wasn't a disembodied English voice in the room.

"-In the evening. Do you have any questions?" The voice asked, calm and collected. Bruce looked up at the ceiling, because it felt like the best place to look when trying to address a voice with no owner.

"-Uh. Who are you?" He tried, feeling distinctly vulnerable sitting in bed trying to talk to a person he couldn't locate.

"My apologies, I had assumed Mr Stark would have informed you of me." The voice, if anything, sounded annoyed.

Bruce couldn't help but feel guilty. "Sorry, I don't think so- you are?"

"I am JARVIS; I am an Artificial Intelligence program designed by Mr Stark to heighten efficiency across his and his company's plethora of activities and buildings. However, he mostly uses me as his personal jukebox."

Bruce blinked once, twice. He stared up at the ceiling.

"You're an- okay. Tony built an AI just for playing music?"

"Not at all. He also uses me for speaking to Miss Potts when she is mad at him."

Bruce breathed out a quiet laugh at that. Only Tony would create an AI capable of incredible feats of speech comprehension capability and use it to avoid talking to his girlfriend in person.

With this strange wake-up call and demonstration of Tony's prowess in robotics, Bruce got up and began to get ready for the morning.

He had gotten his duffel bag ready for today; after yesterday's events, with the Tesseract gone and Pepper returned, Bruce was aware that his time at Stark Tower had come to an end. The danger was over, and his services were no longer required: he knew that if he didn't leave, someone was bound to kick him out. He wanted to leave on his own terms if he had to do so.

Nevertheless, Tony had been generous to him throughout the last few days, and had proved himself a kind (if at times somewhat annoying) person- he felt he had to at least say goodbye. He rarely did so, for reasons of safety; but Tony had managed to effortlessly earn his trust and respect, and he wanted to tell the man he was thankful for all he had done over the past few days with and for him.

Bruce changed into his (newly purchased by Stark, prohibitively expensive) clothes, quickly and efficiently, mannerisms honed by years on the run. He was just about to shoulder his bag and head out of the door when JARVIS spoke up again.

"Dr Banner, Mr Stark has requested your audience in the main atrium of the Research and Development department."

Bruce looked up quizzically to the ceiling. He had considered Tony's offer of 'Candyland' to be meaningless offers made in a throwaway fashion, and hadn't considered them beyond that. This was surprising to say the least, but spoke true against the rest of Tony's fulfilled promises and general honesty.

Bruce found himself liking Stark more and more- he had always seen the arrogant figure on the television as nothing more than a figurehead to the company, and a publicity stunt after Iron Man, but the recent days had proved that Tony was anything but that media portrayal.

So Bruce smiled, told JARVIS he would be there, and set down his duffel bag on the bed before leaving the room.

* * *

Bruce stepped out of the elevator into a cream-coloured room, wide and tall, decorated with waiting-room-style chairs and potted plants, with a circular receptionist's desk in the middle and a small revolving door directly behind it, opposite of the elevator doors. Bruce frowned, looking around for Tony.

"Morning, honey!"

Bruce looked across the expansive atrium to see a smiling Tony crossing towards him from one of the waiting-room chairs- he returned the hundred-watt smile as best he could.

"Honey?" He questioned softly, raising an eyebrow.

Tony snorted and wound an arm around Bruce. "Get used to the pet names, big guy, they're here to stay."

Bruce chuckled, and although he felt like shying away from the sudden physical contact allowed himself to be led through the atrium.

"Now, earlier on this week I promised Candyland. Well. When I say Candyland, I mean Emerald City, Nirvana, 'We're off to see the wizard' sort of Candyland. And what I promise, I deliver. So!"

Tony stopped still and removed his arm from around Bruce's shoulders, creating a wide expansive gesture at the frosted-glass revolving doors.

"Ready?"

Bruce decided to give Tony a tiny jab to his ego.

"Ready to be disappointed?" Bruce quipped. "I've seen CalTech, you know."

Tony clutched (albeit clearly deliberately gently) at his heart. "You wound me, Brucie baby," he replied, speaking with overt dramaticism. "CalTech's nothing compared to StarkTech."

"That what your PR company told you?" Bruce said with a tiny grin, eliciting a jutting-out lower lip from Stark.

"Completely ruining my dramatic moment of reveal here, Bruce."

"Sorry- go ahead with the drama."

Tony didn't need telling twice. "Without further ado, I give you- R and D!"

With that, he half-pushed Bruce to the revolving doors, putting himself in the partition behind. Bruce pushed through the door-

And into a room, glass-lined and beautiful. Well, he said 'room'. It was in fact a large, sunlit hall with a ceiling reaching up to four stories above him. Where he stood, there was an expanse larger than the atrium, which could be considered a courtyard; people were milling about and buzzing with activity across the clean and shining white tiles, around the beautiful metal sculptures and neatly kept foliage dotting the courtyard area.

And beyond that, a thin corridor reaching to the end of the building and the floor-to-ceiling windows- and between that corridor were two four-story 'buildings', made of glass and steel and facing the courtyard with impressive power. It was, for everything, like an open space with two buildings ahead of it, rather than a room.

It took Bruce's breath away.

Tony came up behind him. "Still prefer CalTech?"

Bruce couldn't help his response.

"Fuck CalTech."

With that, Tony laughed, and came to his side, arm pointing to the 'building' on the left and then the right.

"Research- Development. One makes the ideas and tries the basic concept for scientific accuracy, and the other makes the prototypes happen. And then we fight to the death for supremacy."

Bruce breathed out a laugh. "Don't have to ask which side you're on."

So Bruce and Tony began walking towards the huge glass monoliths. As they walked, people passing them by glanced across at them (albeit mostly Tony)- some nodded, others greeted the two amicably. But most seemed apprehensive. After all, only days ago New York had been shaken by forces that had emanated from a portal on top of their selfsame building- and Tony had been one of the few to stop those forces. Obviously, Bruce had had a hand in helping as well (depending on what you defined to be 'help'), but few knew that. Tony was a public figure and a controversial one at that.

But Tony, if he recognised the tension in the atmosphere, didn't consider it at all- he just nodded and greeted people and pretended not to notice the ones muttering to each other and pointing surreptitiously at them both. Bruce felt vulnerable , and couldn't imagine how Tony wasn't- but then again, he supposed, Tony was used to the kind of public scrutiny that came from these scenarios.

Regardless, despite Bruce's worries, the two walked to the buildings inside buildings without being accosted or attacked, and found themselves first in the right-hand building, that of Development. Bruce wondered why Tony was choosing what most would consider the wrong way around to tour the two buildings.

"Welcome to my haven and my home, Brucie boy," Tony said with a grin, walking through the large glass archways with an air of excitement. "Since I put Pepper at the top of the tree, she's grounded me down here."

Bruce looked at the pristine glass walls and beautiful sculpture dotting their surroundings.

"Yeah, I bet it's a drag coming to work here in the mornings."

Tony smirked. "Commuting's a nightmare."

Bruce didn't answer then for a moment, instead taking in the Development Department. While cream and maroon partitions separated the rest of the building from them, the sun kissed entrance hall looked like it could have been a million-dollar development centre all of its own- the area had clearly been designed to look as futuristic as possible, and Bruce wouldn't have been surprised if Tony had designed the place himself.

When he looked up to ask Tony this, however, he discovered himself alone in the room, with a flicker of movement at one of the doors the only evidence as to where his host had gone. He shook his head softly, at himself or Tony he didn't know, and quickly made his way after the billionaire hosting him in his home.

"Too excited to stop?" He quipped as he came through the double doors to follow Tony.

"Too bored to slow down! C'mon, Bruce, that's an entrance hall, the real magic's down here!" He replied, leading Bruce down a bright corridor lined with doors.

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask- so far, your development building doesn't seem to have much in the way of development going on." Bruce gestured at the empty corridor. "All this space and no prototypes- no whiteboards- no employees that've had too much coffee?"

Tony grinned back at Bruce. "Trust me, we've got better coffee than any other workspace you've ever seen. We've only just opened is all."

Bruce frowned. "So, what, you're under-capacity?"

"So far. We've still got loads of employees we need to hire, and apparently I'm in charge of that now over here. I mean, I like interviewing for engineers and all, but most scientists wouldn't know interesting if it bit them in the ass."

"Thanks."

"You're an exception, Brucie; most scientists don't let me poke them with mini cattle prods."

"I wonder why," Bruce said dryly. "You'd think electrocuting people would boost company morale."

Tony snorted but didn't answer, opting instead to walk on and reach the end of the corridor. Automatic doors slid open, and the two of them found themselves (_finally, Bruce thought to himself_) in an actual workspace.

It had been worth the wait, because Bruce found himself in what he could only call a cavern. Monolithic computer servers spread to the generous ceiling on one side, and on the other a line of workbenches covered in devices that looked like they belonged in a science fiction film. Bruce wanted to inspect them up close- and Tony was only too happy to oblige.

"This one here-" Tony said, holding it up like a father with a newborn, "Is officially some mix of letters and boring, but I prefer to call her 'Sparky'."

Bruce couldn't help but grin. "Because?"

"'Cause we haven't been able to fix the sparking problem yet." Tony suddenly yelled across the room.

"Hey, Malena, have we fixed the sparking problem yet?"

A young woman looked up from where she was picking out a multitude of wires from a basket.

"You mean have _I _fixed the sparking problem yet?" She yelled back, her unamused tone clear. "Sure, why not, press that button!"

"Are you advocating the electrocution of one of the richest men on Earth?" Tony called.

"Not if he's clever enough to not press the button!" Malena retorted, smirking.

Tony stuck out his tongue, put down the device and turned to Bruce.

"They love their boss here."

Bruce wasn't listening, because he was too busy inspecting a small device on the sideboard- it seemed scientific in nature, and had similarities with a mass spectrometer, but it was clearly too small to be one.

Tony picked it up and waved it in the air. Bruce looked up at the billionaire.

"Nothing interesting to see there- c'mon, the real magic's over here!"

Bruce smiled vaguely. "The last time I saw anything like this, it was my lab in Brazil- and that wasn't so much a lab as a mass of repurposed garbage in a favela."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? What were you making?"

Bruce looked at the ground, shrugged slightly. "Uh, nothing special- microscope, centrifuge…" Bruce trailed off- as much as he somewhat trusted Tony, he didn't want to give any more than vague explanations to how he was researching for a cure.

Tony stopped leading Bruce to the next table, because now he was staring at Bruce with open surprise. "You made a centrifuge out of garbage?"

Bruce breathed out a laugh, and this time took the lead himself. "You might be able to make that-" He gestured at the arc reactor with a tiny hand movement- "Out of scraps, but I'm not that bad myself."

Tony shook his head, before walking after Bruce. "Hell no, you're not."

* * *

"And this is el casa de Stark!" Tony announced as the clear elevator doors opened to allow them entry. "It's where I go to look professional and flick off people out the windows."

The office was at the very top of the glass 'building', and was surrounded on all sides by glass, overlooking the atrium on three walls and the streets of New York on the final wall opposite the elevator. It was just as expensive-looking as everywhere else in the building, if not more so- the office had its own workspace and a kitchenette as well as a large, luxurious desk and executive chair.

"So you spend most time in Development?" Bruce asked with a frown. "I know you like engineering, but…"

Tony made a large and completely incomprehensible motion with his hands. "I like electrical engineering, but on the other hand I prefer making things up… I'm not the best fit for any actual company, but they generally leave me alone and let me come up with whatever and then they make it."

Bruce had worked in enough places to know that wasn't a business practice that gelled with even small companies, let alone big companies; especially if you were the head of a huge department in a multinational and lucrative company. "But you're the executive manager of this department, right?" Feeling he was getting a little too far into something that wasn't his business, he backtracked. "I mean, do you get someone to do paperwork for you, and management?"

Tony suddenly looked shifty and anxious, and Bruce wasn't sure precisely why. "Yeah, I guess- I'm sorta in the market for a co-head, y'know, but there's not many people looking for jobs in NYC at the moment-" Tony made a sweeping motion at the partially destroyed city outside. "-So, yeah."

The evasive response smacked of false to Bruce- even if New York was destroyed entirely, there would still be lines of people with resumes in hand at the door. But he wasn't here much longer, and he didn't want to make waves with Tony as a parting goodbye, so he nodded and let the subject lie. Searching for another topic, he pointed out instead an opening in the side of the office.

"What's that for?"

Tony didn't seem to lose his anxious movements- but, as Bruce studied him further, he wondered whether they were anxious or excited. "Oh, yeah- there's a walkway between the two offices. Between the heads of the department, that is. You know- for when we get a second. Wanna come see?"

Tony almost didn't wait for a response, but Bruce was happy to oblige- the walkway was completely transparent, and it was four stories up on one side and fifty stories up on the other, and as much as Bruce tried to avoid situations of high stress, he couldn't resist the temptation.

The two of them walked onto the walkway, which was only a few metres long and high but allowed for beautiful views outside and in. Bruce leant forward to watch the outside of midtown Manhattan below them; the cavalcade of yellow taxis and the tiny people weaving between them like a giant choreographed dance, played out in miniature beneath his feet.

"Still can't believe it," Bruce murmured, wondering how on Earth he had gotten from the back of Calcutta to the top of New York in only a matter of days.

"Can't believe what?" Tony asked beside him. Bruce straightened awkwardly, having almost completely forgotten Stark was there.

"That you bought out the MetLife building and completely deconstructed it," Bruce replied quickly.

Tony laughed. "Pepper's idea, not mine. She did the whole thing, I just did some of the lifting and put my name on at the end. But it's nice, isn't it?"

Bruce winced slightly. "I'm not the biggest fan of the architecture, but yeah-"

"Nah, not the architecture." Tony looked down at the streets below, his face enraptured. "The view."

Bruce wondered what it was like to know the sky was your domain as much as the ground- to fly wherever you wanted, just because you could.

Flashes of a New York sky alight with flames flickered in his memory, blurry and hazy and unsure but _there. _Tony falling from the sky like a puppet with its strings cut. Jumping through the air to catch him- the pain of dragging his hands through concrete and steel to break his fall. Wind whistling and bombs flying and pain and fear and _anger._

Bruce stepped back from the edge like he had been burned; and to his surprise, so did Tony.

Tony kept staring at the edge for a second, shock and fear burning in his eyes, before he tore his eyes away to meet Bruce's.

"So!" He said, channelling more energy than either of them felt into his voice. "We didn't come here for the view."

Bruce frowned, looking at the glass Perspex box around them. "Then what did we come here for? This is literally a place to look at the view."

Tony shrugged. "I needed ambiance. Now- JARVIS told me you've already packed to go."

Cold dread made its way to Bruce's stomach. He should have known an AI under Tony's control would report directly to Tony- he had nothing to hide, but it still felt worrying to know that Tony had the upper hand on him. Tony seemed to realise he was making Bruce anxious, but carried on regardless.

"Now, I'm not gonna stop you if you really want to go, 'cause I know you have do-gooding adventures to do and plenty of pretty girls to meet, but I have a counter-suggestion." Tony smiled. "Stay here."

And for a second, everything stopped. Bruce blinked.

"…Stay here."

Tony almost seemed embarrassed the second after he had said it. "-Yeah. Stay here."

Bruce wanted to, he did; but if Tony was just saying it for the sake of saying it, he couldn't accept by any means. Tony had to understand what he was getting himself into.

"You want me to stay with you, in your primarily glass building." Bruce said, tapping the glass underfoot softly with his foot to underline his point.

Tony shrugged. "It's not like I'm not already paying repairs."

Bruce winced. "Look, I'm flattered, but the risks of me being here-"

"-Are outweighed by the pros, c'mon, Bruce, don't make me get out the charm offensive here," Tony cut in.

"What pros?" But almost as he asked, Bruce could imagine the answer. Because here he was, stood in the midst of Stark Industry's scientific heart, and Tony hadn't shown him the 'Research' portion of the building, and Bruce had heard enough of Tony's fawning to know his interest in Steve, in the super soldier. He got ready to hear the argument he had heard before- that he could be an asset if he permitted himself to be tested on, that the Hulk could be a weapon for good if he would just comply. He could hear it now and he wasn't going to let Tony say it, because he had _hoped this wouldn't happen. _

And so, after a second or two of the two men getting ready to rush out their sentences, the both of them spoke at once- on Bruce's part, "I'm not letting you test on me," and on Tony's part, "I want you to be my co-executive."

The two paused. They took in each other's sentence.

"Testing?" Tony asked with a look of horror and disgust.

"Executive?" Bruce questioned with the air of a man who had just had his train of thought summarily shot at, derailed and blown up with a pipe bomb.

There was another pause. Bruce spoke this time.

"-You want me to be your co-executive." He said the words slowly; like the notion would leave them both if it wasn't treated with care.

Tony's mouth was on the edge of hanging open.

"Yes! Not- I- Bruce, why the _hell _would I test on you?!"

Bruce felt like sinking into the non-existent ground.

"I, uh. You like Captain America. We're in your R&amp;D and you used to be a military- contractor-" Now his argument wasn't holding any water, he wanted to just never speak of it again. Tony's look of horror was replaced by grim understanding.

"-And you thought I wanted you to help me make big green soldiers."

Bruce rubbed one hand with the other, looking down at them and back up at Tony. "I-"

"Nah, no need to explain it." Tony said, waving him off before looking at the atrium beneath them. "I probably should've prefaced my big reveal, I've not got the best rep in the world."

"You really want me to be your co-executive?" Bruce asked weakly. "We've known each other for four days. I just said I thought you wanted to test on me."

Tony laughed. "Yeah. You're fired from the job you don't have yet." But his tone was light, and when he looked back up at Bruce he had a slight smile on his face. "You're the guy for the job."

Bruce frowned. "Seriously."

"Like I said, big guy. Most scientists don't let me electrocute them." But then his tone turned serious. "Look, you're clever. You're funny. You helped save the world and you saved me, and that's even better than the world." Tony grinned. "You're my first choice and I'm going to have a hell of a time finding anyone else as suited for the job. Besides-" And now Tony looked sheepish. "-It would be great if you stuck around."

That final comment was worth more to Bruce than the rest of Tony's explanation put together. Tony wasn't just interviewing him for a job- he wanted him here as a friend. For whatever reason.

Bruce smiled. "Okay."

Tony's eyes lit up. "You'll do it?!"

"Yeah." Then Bruce thought of something, and he backtracked. "Wait- has Pepper agreed to this?"

Tony grinned. "You think I can come up with ideas in this place and Pepper _won't _know?" Taking Bruce by the upper arm, he led him to the empty office, tinted glass preventing him from seeing the interior until he was in the office itself.

It was just as large as Tony's office, but furnished differently- the blues and whites that punctuated Tony's office were replaced with soft browns and brushed steel. A smaller but still luxurious desk sat on one side of the office, and the rest of the space was taken up with- well. Bruce found himself surrounded by workbenches covered in expensive-looking scientific equipment- a kitchenette identical to Tony's was in the corner, except he could see a number of teas as well as the coffee brands Tony had littered his kitchenette with. Comfortable and luxurious chairs were dotted next to one window, and this was where Pepper Potts was sat. She smiled and stood up, crossing the room to meet them both.

"I take it you said yes?" She said, smiling wider at the look on Bruce's face. He took a few seconds to register he was being talked to, and even when he responded it wasn't entirely on topic.

"Did you- outfit this office-"

"For you, Brucie baby?" Tony grinned, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I had a feeling you'd say yes. Like it?"

Bruce laughed to hide the fact he was touched enough to feel like crying. "Yeah. Yeah, of course I like it."

Pepper chuckled then. "Good, because the décor was my idea."

Tony had a gift for looking put down. "I insisted on a green colour scheme, but Debby Downer over here overruled me."

"Don't pout, Tony, we put in the lights."

Tony lit up himself then. "Perfect."

"Should I ask?" Bruce said.

"No, you'll find out," Pepper said, leading the two of them to the chairs and letting Tony trail behind, "Just remember that Tony has a ridiculous sense of humour and you don't have to put up with anything he puts in your office."

'_Your office'. _That was a phrase Bruce never thought he'd hear again. But for good reason. And as Bruce sat down opposite Pepper, and Tony laid across the back of Pepper's chair, he regarded the contract on the table between them carefully.

"You know," Bruce said, "I'm still a fugitive from the U.S. Army. I don't think SHIELD changed that. If I'm here-"

Pepper smiled warmly. "Officially, you're not here, only our higher-ranking workers will know. Ordinarily, however, employing someone in secret can lead to discrepancies of pay and work-related assault- this is just to make sure Tony doesn't make you his slave and start using you as target practice." Tony made an affronted wailing noise behind Pepper, which was summarily ignored by his girlfriend.

"He's welcome to try," Bruce replied, eliciting another wailing noise of affront.

"So- this is the current contract. If you wish to change anything, we are open to negotiation." Pepper slid the contract towards Bruce, who picked it up, put on his glasses, and began to inspect it.

And about five seconds later, he started choking, much to the glee of Tony and Pepper.

"_How _much?" He managed eventually.

Tony plopped himself down on the arm of Bruce's chair. "If we're going to be equally employed, we're gonna be equally paid, compadre."

Bruce stared at the paper in his hands. "This is astronomical. This is insane. I can't be paid this."

"Don't tell Pepper that, she's on double."

"Bruce, it's a large figure, but it's what any department head in a company this size would be paid. We're one of the most lucrative companies on Earth, and we can afford to pay this much." Pepper said.

"I-"

"Bruce, I know you're modest, but negotiations are generally for talking someone up, not down." Tony looked Bruce in the eyes. "This isn't a charity job offer- I know I'm known for being extravagant, but not with sums that size. I've seen what you can do and I know you're competent and I know you're not going to be goddamn dull like all the other fu-"

"Tony."

"Not including you, babe, you know that, but the head of HR's a dic-"

"Tony!"

"-Tator. Dictator, c'mon, Pep-"

"_Tony-"_

"-My point is, Bruce, take the money and join us. C'mon, you built a centrifuge out of garbage, you're going to fit right in here." Tony fiddled with his stitches before he said the next point. "We want you here."

Bruce smiled. He looked down at the contract in his hands.

_No more running, _he thought to himself.

Somewhere, deep in the annals of his subconscious, the Hulk sighed with relief.

And he signed.

* * *

And that night, as he returned to what turned out to be a newly outfitted bedroom ("_Tony, is that a Jacuzzi?" "Only the best for my business partner!" "…It's green."), _Bruce may have thanked JARVIS while he unpacked his duffel bag again.

And if he got no reply but a slight flicker of blue at his window, he was content with that as well.

* * *

_I hate this chapter. It was necessary, and it was needed, but it was a bitch. I was enthusiastic about describing locations and nothing else. Tony doesn't sound right. Bruce doesn't sound right. Hell, even Pepper doesn't sound right. I'm pretty sure I used too much British terminology and didn't catch it- I had to rewrite in 'elevator' more times than you'd know. In any case. I hope you enjoyed._


	3. Being A Serious Boss (While Under Fire)

"It began as most things do- with a nerf gun fight at two in the morning. Well. Most things don't start with a nerf gun fight at two in the morning. But this thing did."

"No, it started before the nerf gun fight."

"Am I telling the story or you? It started with a nerf gun fight at two in the morning."

"We need to preface the nerf gun fight."

"You need to preface- uh- your face."

"That's a terrible retort."

"So's your face."

"You're childish."

"_So this story starts with a nerf gun fight at two in the morning_. Like some certain select things do. And I'd like the record to show that I was _destroying_ the opposition."

"I'd like the record to reflect that Tony was most certainly _not_ destroying the opposition, as he was too busy standing on the kitchen counter screaming quotations from 'Apocalypse Now'."

"Wow, says you. What was it you were yelling at your team again?"

"It was team tactics."

"Bruce, you were just screaming 'Get them in the nuts! Get them in the nuts!'"

"Team tactics."

"_Anyway_\- it doesn't matter who won-"

"-It was me-"

"-We were leading our department in an epic battle for nerf supremacy, taking no prisoners and not stopping until everyone was down."

"We started at four that afternoon and so far nobody but Carlos had admitted defeat."

"Look, I've _told _you, Carlos sprained his ankle! He was forced to pull out!"

"Your team's just weak."

"Fuck you, Banner. Look, it was two in the morning and pretty much all of our team was still there. His team were flagging and we were on top."

"Half of your team were considering a mutiny."

"No they weren't!"

"They were."

"_It was two in the morning_. Our teams were still fighting and my team was way better, _fuck you Banner_, and we were in the break room trying to cover our teams while they retrieved ammo."

"And then it happened. And I would like the record to reflect that it was his fault."

"No, it was _his_-"

"-_You_ shot it!"

"If you hadn't shot me, I wouldn't have shot it!"

"It's not my fault you're a poor shot when being fired at."

"It is your fault! You shot me!"

"Look, he shot the security system, not me."

"But you shot me so I shot the security system!"

"So you do admit you shot the security system."

"_It's not my fault!_"

"_BOYS!"_

The two bickering men looked up at Pepper's more than a little irate expression.

"Yes, dear?" Tony said with a smile that had likely disarmed many women, his face the picture of suave charm.

"Yes, Miss Potts?" Bruce said with a face of pure innocence, projecting enough of a kicked-puppy look in his expression that Pepper almost felt bad for him.

"You set off the security system. At three in the morning. Because of a _nerf gun fight_."

Both men suddenly became acutely aware of just how badly they were going to be in trouble.

Well, one of them at least.

"...Two in the morning." Bruce corrected softly.

Pepper slowly narrowed her eyes. Behind them, the now-destroyed security system made rattling noises as bullets fell from its ripped-apart chassis. Tony had at least been courteous enough to destroy the security system about ten minutes after it had been tripped.

"I let you two in a room together for two days. You set off the security system, blowing holes in the Research and Development department _and our floor, Tony_, at _two in the morning_, the _day before we have a health and safety inspection_?!"

The entire room of muttering R&amp;D department staff went silent. Tony and Bruce gave each other a glance.

"Truce?"

"Truce."

"_RUN!_" Tony and Bruce yelled in unison, leading the R&amp;D department in a charge in the opposite direction.

Pepper stood there for a second, listening to the sounds of the malfunctioning security system and the yells of the R&amp;D department.

Then she picked up one of the discarded nerf guns and began leisurely walking towards the chaos, dialling a number into her phone.

"Hi, Happy, sorry to wake you, but we have some interdepartmental firing to do."


End file.
